Best Meditation Books 2019

by Michael W. Taft

There are zillions of books on meditation, but there are very few I would recommend, especially for somebody just starting out. Below you’ll find just the books I feel are the most helpful and clear; the best meditation books in 2019.

Mindfulness Meditation Books

Currently, by far the best book for learning to meditate in the Vipassana/Mindfulness tradition is The Mind Illuminated, by Culadasa
(John Yates). This massive tome takes you one step at a time through a
system of 10 stages—based on your level of concentration.

This book also offers an entire brain-based theory of meditation—catnip for the neuroscience junkies among us (although it’s also problematic as theory) —as well as expert advice on deeper levels of meditation, many additional meditation techniques, and a method of analytical meditation. Furthermore, Culadasa has a whole appendix section that makes sense of the “jhana wars” (my term, not his) by adding a dimension of depth to the usual dimension of the jhana numbers. This is a huge step forward.

An added bonus is that there is a huge and thriving practice
community based on the book, as well as programs with Culadasa, teacher
trainings, and much more. The Mind Illuminated subreddit is a great place to start.

Mindfulness in Plain English, by Bhante GunaratanaThis
book is an utter classic on the basics of mindfulness meditation.
“Bhante,” as he is affectionately known (which is just a polite term of
address for a monk, something like “venerable sir”), has been a
Theravada monk almost his entire life. Born in Sri Lanka, he has been
teaching Vipassana in the United States since the late 1960s.

The text covers the why of mindfulness meditation, delves into the
how of doing the sitting practice, and also has several sections on what
to do when problems inevitably crop up.

Shinzen Young has been my main meditation teacher for over 20 years
now. I first began working with him when I was editing an audio program
called The Science of Enlightenment in the mid 1990s. I was
stunned by his erudition, his knowledge of world religions (not just
Buddhism), his mastery of many of the original languages of Buddhism,
and his ability to clarify otherwise very difficult points in the
dharma.

Somewhere in the 2000s, I was asked to create a book version of the program, which we all thought might take a few months.

Twelve years, and a lot of laughter and tears later, it was released.

The Science of Enlightenment is not an unusual book because
it was created based on Shinzen’s dharma talks and lectures—that is very
common for meditation teachers, who basically give talks for a living.
It is unusual because it starts out with the basics of meditation and
with each progressive chapter, takes you deeper and deeper into the
profundity of spiritual insight. Along the way, you learn many ways to
practice, including working with impermanence, no-self, and nonduality.

This is not a practice manual, but more of a transmission of the
spirit of meditation. (If you want to dig deeply into the meditation
system invented by Shinzen Young, here is an enormous, comprehensive,
and highly technical—and totally free of charge—PDF file, entitled The Five Ways to Know Yourself. This is an epic practice manual that is quite complete.

Notice that in Shinzen’s way of working (which is heavily influenced
by Zen and Vajrayana), there is no sense of levels, or stages, or
getting anywhere. Awakening is always and everywhere.

Breakthrough Pain, also by Shinzen, is an unusual text. It
concentrates on how to use mindfulness meditation to cope with
intractable physical pain.

Shinzen uses examples from Japanese meditation tradition, the
“marathon monks of Mt. Hiei,” as well as his personal experience in
Native American sundances, to demonstrate methods of working with pain.

These techniques are not easy, nor are they for beginners. However,
if you have a serious pain problem, and cannot find relief in any
standard medical method, then this book is worth experimenting with. The
methods work for many, but not all people, to a greater or lesser
degree. But if they help you to find relief, the input of time will be
more than worth it. Comes with audio guided meditations by Shinzen.

Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha, by Daniel IngramSurely
one of the most unusual meditation books ever published, this book,
(called simply MCTB by its adherents) started a revolution in Buddhist
practice. Less a meditation manual than a feverish practice diary, MCTB
tore the lid off the “mushroom factory” model of meditation—feed them
shit and keep them in the dark—that had been in vogue for decades, and
inaugurated a new era of unusual openness, clarity, and sharing in the
dharmic world, as well as unleashing a firestorm of criticism upon the
author.

Upon release this book seemed to break every rule of the typical
Buddhist center in the West, and to have something to piss off
absolutely everyone. Meditators are supposed to let go of all striving?
Well, let’s aim directly for stream entry, presented as a clear goal.
Meditators are supposed to patiently sit for decades with no discernable
improvement or even change in their practice? Fuck that, any reasonably
motivated person can hit first path within a few years of dedicated
effort. Most details about how to judge the level of someone’s
attainment must be kept absolutely secret? Nah, we’re just going to
publish them right here in excruciating detail, and use them to rank
each other’s practice. No one should ever discuss their spiritual
attainments? The author calls himself an arhat on the cover of the book.

While it undoubtedly seems less revolutionary today, that is only because the reaction to the book has been so great in so short a time. Even while heaping opprobrium upon the author, the Buddhist world has sprinted to catch up in the dialog around the details of practice and attainment.

Some of the highlights include a lot of material on jhana practice, practical use of the Stages of Insight model, deconstructing unhelpful models of awakening, and a lot of very good material on the Dark Night.

That said, as a very personal book, MCTB doesn’t always give the best advice and sometimes is overly pedantic or too black-and-white in its presentation. You may also be put off by the massive amount of the book dedicated to gaining siddhis or magickal powers. Nevertheless, it’s an important book to read and understand, so just get it (free here) and read it.

This is not the best mindfulness meditation manual for beginners in
the world. It is, however, the best mindfulness meditation manual for
beginners who are geeks allergic to Woo, folklore, and mysticism in the
world.

If you love science fiction, are comfortable with code, like flow
charts, and appreciate research paper citations, this book is definitely
for you. It will get you started with your sitting practice in a fun,
smart, and pain-free manner. You can always get a free e-copy of the
book (in several formats) by signing up here.

More Mindfulness Books to Check out:

Books on Jhana Practice

Understanding how to practice jhanas is its own gigantic and controversial topic. Here are a few excellent books which, of course, disagree about the method, depth, and definition of jhanas, but which together will give you a very good idea of the spectrum of possibilities. Leigh Brasington’s book is the most accessible and also the easiest to practice.

As I mentioned above, The Mind Illuminated also contains very good instructions on the jhanas, and is the only text which attempts to unify the methods described in the following books:

Zen Meditation Books

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, by Shunryu SuzukiA
Zen classic from the San Francisco-based Japanese Roshi Shunryu Suzuki.
This book affected me deeply when I first began meditating. I still
remember reading the electrifying words, “Life is like stepping onto a
boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.”

Now more than 40 years of practice later, I still find it powerful and illuminating.

(more Zen books coming)

Vajrayana Meditation Books

Roaring Silence, by Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro DéchenAn approachable and very interesting introduction to dzogchen teachings.

In dzogchen we look at the nature of mind, directly perceiving the primordial freedom of the natural state.

This book contains several simple, powerful meditation exercises and practices, as well as quite bit of (to me, somewhat boring) question and answers. It presents the meditation methods known as the “four naljors” which include shamatha, vipassana, and several nondual practices.

Very interesting and useful.

(Note to pedants: Yes, I know that dzogchen is considered by many to be distinct from tantra. Deal with it.)

Spectrum of Ecstasy: Embracing the Five Wisdom Emotions of Vajrayana Buddhism by Ngakpa ChögyamOne
of the most important differences between early Buddhism (think
Vipassana) and later Buddhism, in my opinion, is the differing treatment
of emotions in the two traditions. Theravada casts “negative” emotions
as something to be annihilated completely, going so far as to picture a
fully enlightened person as having only positive, wholesome emotions.

In the later formulations of Buddhism, on the other hand, all
emotions are considered to have potential qualities of awakening. By
learning to work with difficult emotions skillfully, we can realize
their uplifting and ultimately liberating qualities.

Advaita/Nondual Meditation Books

I highly recommend this text for anyone with advanced experience in meditation. The audio version is also excellent. In this text Adyashanti deals with the deeper blockages to awakening which can arise, and also some of the difficulties that arise after awakening.

Shift into Freedom, by Loch KellyThis
is a unusual book, written in a idiosyncratic language. Loch Kelly
takes the nondual teachings of Mahamudra and translates them into
simple, often strange-sounding language.

The payoff is that the techniques allow even beginners access to some of the more esoteric states and understandings of nondual awareness. Totally worth checking out.

– A full review coming on this. Certainly a spiritual classic for all the ages.

Meditation Books on Special Topics

When Things Fall Apart, by Pema ChödrönSimply
put, if you are going through a difficult time, then this book will
help you to get through it. I love that this is not some kind of
rainbows-and-unicorns feel good text.

Instead, it fiercely looks reality in the face, as in this this
typical quote: “Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us,
we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and
not be squeamish about taking a good look.”

While this can sound harsh or unhelpful, there is something truly
comforting and even uplifting in her unstintingly no-nonsense outlook.
The subtitle describes the work accurately: Heart Advice for Difficult Times. This book has been a bestseller in spiritual circles for over 20 years, which is testimony to its power and efficacy.

To be fully alive, fully human,
and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To
live fully is to be always in no-man’s-land, to experience each moment
as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and
over again.

Jessica Graham, a major contributor of articles to the Deconstructing Yourself website, is a fantastic writer. When she began writing articles about mindfulness as it relates to sexuality, people noticed. Her groundbreaking series on Mindful Sex, originally published here, became the inspiration for a book on the topic, entitled Good Sex.

The book is unusual for several reasons. Firstly, Jessica is a powerful meditation teacher and practitioner, and she brings her own experience of working with mindfulness of sex directly into the material presented in the book. It is fresh, unexpectedly engaging, and different from anything you will read anywhere else on the topic.

Secondly, and most importantly, Jessica is characterlogicially incapable and unwilling to fit into the boring and tame model of the typical mindfulness of sex book. You know, the completely unsexy, uninteresting, straight/cis normative, and frankly sex-negative view of most consensus Buddhist practitioners in the West. Yeah, not in this book.

Instead you get, as the description promises: Not only a tool kit for creating a rich and deeply satisfying sex life, this playful, explicit, and transformative book conveys the deeper message of how combining meditation with sex can bring about profound spiritual awakenings. Graham discusses everything from open-eyed orgasms to threesomes to how to deal with a partner with a low sex drive. From a sex-positive and nontraditional stance Good Sex explores nonmonogamy, the benefits of pornography, sexual trauma, consent, and much more.

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Comments

Your familiarity & command of the range is inspiring. I’ve read maybe 10th of the books you have, if that. I especially appreciate your sage annotations!

If my suggested additions might enhance —

To update your selection by Thich Nhat Hanh, I’d recommend HAPPINESS, which compiles many of the practices he & his community has evolved in the 40 years since MIRACLE OF MINDFULNESS.

To update Suzuki Roshi’s classic, Norman Fischer & Sue Moon’s WHAT IS ZEN? is a sturdy introduction from a 2nd or 3rd generation of his lineage.

For Vajrayana, I’m fond of Kathleen MacDonald’s HOW TO MEDITATE – A Practical Guide. It came out relatively early in the emergence of Vajrayana in the West, and offers a wide range of practices within what’s, I believe, a traditional framework. Even today, the amplitude of concrete practices seems at a high level.

How about Audio Books?
( Here’s where I’ll insert my shameless self-promotion: PAUSE BREATHE SMILE – Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation Is Not Enough is available as of March, from Tantor Audio; the paper edition has been out 6 months ). When I began it, 5 years ago, the mindfulness space was starting to get crowded. So the aim was/is to present the complete traditional course of mindfulness practice for ordinary readers, making mindfulness 24/7; a way, rather than a technique. For newbies and adepts alike. Distilling what I’ve learned from Thich Nhat Hanh, & my own practice. )

Hey, pedantry alert. I think you meant “opprobium”, not “approbation”, when describing MCTB as “Even while heaping approbation upon the author, the Buddhist world has sprinted to catch up in the dialog around the details of practice and attainment.” Approbation is positive.

that’s a great list, thanks for sharing! Also for the great meditations you put up, they feel like an adventure 😉
Are you aware of “Wake up to your Life”? I’m reading it right now and am amazed by its clarity and depth.

Seeing that frees, which is on your list but with no commentary is one of the most extraordinary books on meditation I’ve read. Very detailed in a useful way. I’d put it in my top 4 along with “I am that”, “The Mind Illuminated” and “The Essence of Enlightenment.” (the last is a VERY Hindu book.)

Its from the Tibetan side of things. Its pure Samatha practice ( If I recall correctly it has a 10 stage model) . He gives a choice of working with the breath , “mind” , or awareness itself as the object of concentration. There is emphasis about the importance balance between relaxation and alertness– the metaphor the book uses is its like tuning an instrument . There is a lengthy but interesting diatribe on the etymology of the word mindfulness. All in all it had a bunch of practical instruction and is a very inspiring read. It pairs nicely with the Mind Illuminated .